A special education legal resource discussing case law, news, practical advocacy advice, and developments in state and federal laws, statutes and regulations. Postings include insight and sometimes humor from Charles P. Fox, a Chicago, Illinois attorney who is also a parent of child with special needs, and other guest authors. Email: [email protected]

April 20, 2006

Mislabeling students as mentally retarded is rampant in Fitchberg, Massachusetts according to the State Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Education. [Download Mislabeled_Students.doc]
Nearly one-fourth of all students in the district have been labeled mentally retarded which is nearly four times the state average. One investigatory report concluded the number of students who were mislabelled was "extraordinary."

February 16, 2006

In this posting, my colleague Deborah Pergament will detail the factors to allow parents to determine if a placement is indeed an aural/oral setting for a child with a cochlear implant, and the necessary criteria to determine the appropriateness of a placement.

February 15, 2006

The following is the first of a two part posting from a colleague of mine. Deborah Pergament is an attorney in Chicago, Illinois who has dedicated her professional life to serving the needs of children in the area of special education, family law and juvenile justice. She has successfully tried and won a recent case on behalf of a child with a cochlear implant and has several more pending. This posting should enable parents to make more informed decisions in determining the appropriateness of a school placement for their son or daughter who has a cochlear implant ("CI").

November 18, 2005

Numerous parents who unilaterally enrolled their children in private schools (including religious schools) have raised many questions regarding their children's rights under the new IDEA. In response, I have drafted the following summary of recent Federal guidance on this subject. This summary is general in nature and is not meant to provide specific legal advice. This posting addresses only the changes to the provisions of IDEA 2004 that took effect on July 1, 2005 regarding children with disabilities who are enrolled by their parents in private schools. The relevant IDEA provisions can be found at 20 U.S.C. § 1412 (10)(a). This posting does not address a related set of issues regarding when a parent unilaterally places a child and then claims the offered program in school was not a FAPE. That situation is subject to its own set of requirements, including notice to the school, which is a critical prerequisite not discussed here.